Beet harvester



June 24, 1930. w, B CONRAD 1,768,396"

BEET HARYESTER Filed May 18, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l avwc-nfoz WB- Conrad I June 2 4, 1930.

BEET HARVESTER Filed May 18, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 awucnfoz W B Conrad w. B. CONRAD 1,768,396

June 24, 1930 w. B. CONRAD 1,768,396

BFIET HARVESTER Filed May 18, 1929 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 3/ al'l'ozucua June 24, 1930.

w. B CQNRAD BEET HARVESTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 18, 1929 Conrad Patented it 24, .1930" WILLIAM: B. comm,

PATENT-former or CASPER, memo 1mm mvnsrnn Application filed m 18,

- invention relates to beet harvesters and similar machines and has for its object the provision ofamachine which may beeasily-drawn over a field along a row of plants andwhich will operate to liftthe roots from the ground and-deliver themto v topping stations where the tops are removed,

the tops being deposited in a receptacle prov vided therefor and the bodies being transferred to an elevator which will carry them laterally from the machine and deposit'them in a wagon traveling alongside the-machine.

The invention has for a particular object. the provision of cutters operated by power 16 independent of the power of the machine and by the action of whichthe tops of presented theretowill be quickly and effectually severed. The invention'is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

Inthedrawingsz' Figure 1 is a side View of a 'machine-embodylng my improvements, the digger being raised, p

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section,

' the digger being lowered, 1

Fi 4'is a rear end elevation partly broken away, .30 Fig. 5 is a front endelevation,

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the deflector,

' Fi 7 is a detail of a portion of the fear- 'ing or driving the rear elevator an conveyers, v

Fig. 8 is adetail elevation of the latch controlling the tops-dumping door.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a substantialy .oblong main frame 1 which is suported at its front end by caster wheels2 having their spindles or shanks rothe ' tatably mounted in bearing brackets 3 provided at the corners of the frame. At the rear end, the main frame is supported by ground wheels 4 and the axle of said wheels may be utilized for operating the several conveyers. At the front end ofthe frame is a draft bar 5 provided withv a clevis 6 or similar device, it being intended that the machine be drawn by draft animals or a tractor and the working partsdriven from 1929. w no. 364,102;

the rear wheels. or froma small motor mounted on the frame. Y

-At the front end-of the mainframe, a digger or root lifter is mounted, said digger or lifter consisting of two similar shares or points 7 disposed longitudinally of the machine and near but at opposite sides of the medial longitudinal ,linethereof These shares carry moldboards or wings 8 and they converge rearwardllg, upon reference to i 2, while the opposed surfaces of the mol' boards are, so shaped that the up-lifted' root is supported and directed onto the elevating conveyer 9 arranged immediately at the rear of the digger 06 and longitudinally of the frame. The rear ends, of the shares 7 are connected with the lower end of the frame of the conveyer 9 by links 10 which are pivoted t their op osite ends to the shares and the onveyer rame respectively, while to the uper margins of the moldboards aresecured the lower ends of arms 11 which are hung upon a cross rod 12 and referably have their upper'ends connected by a cross bar 13. The rod 12 is z carried by cranks 14 at the ends of a rock shaft 15 which is mounted upon the end of the frame, and on one of the cranks is' formed or secured a hand lever 16 whereby to rock the shaft-and raise or lower the dig- 8o ger. A stop lug 17 on the same crank 1s ada ted to impinge against the frame and 1im1t the lowering movement so that the digger cannot be set to run at such a depth that it will not do effective work and will unduly increase the draft. The weight of the arms, the cranks and the diggers together with the traction ofthe' digger in the ground when the machine is at work Will'- cause the. lowered digger to penetrate the soil at the sides of the row of tubers, and the f diggers are removed from the ground when the machine is not to work by rocking the lever 16'downwardly and rearwardly so that the lifting cranks 14 will be "swung .upwardly and thereby act upon the arms 11 to lift the same with the diggers attached thereto. When the digger 1s raised, the links 10 assume a nearly vertical position so that they are ona dead center and the digas will be understood to ger will remain raised until the lever 16 is again positively actuated.

The elevator 9 consists of an endless belt com osed of parallel side chains and blades or ights 19 disposed transversely between the chains at intervals and secured thereto. The flights are rovided in suflicient number to support t e up-lifted roots and they push the roots to the. upper end of the elevator wherethey are delivered onto a divided table or deflector 20. The elevator belt is mounted at its upper and lower bights upon sprocket drums or rollers 21 journaled in side bars 22 which are carried by the main frame and may conveniently be secured in cent side bar 22 and a supporting post 27 on the main frame and carries a sprocket 28 on its outer end, a sprocket chain 29 being trained around said sprocket and around'a' sprocket 30 provided on one end of a shaft 31 which extends across the main frame at thecrear of the elevator and below i the upper end thereof. Said shaft 31 supports the forward bights of table conveyers 32 arranged at each side of the frame and longitudinally of the same and. adapted to convey the clods of dirt which may have clung to the roots and deposit them upon the ground at the rear of the machine. The conveyers 32 consist -of endless chains trained around sprockets on the shaft 31 and around similar sprockets on a shaft 33 at the rear of the machine. The divider table or deflector 20 is disposed immediately at the rear of the elevator 9 and consists of a pluralit of transverse rods each inclined downwar from its center toward the sides 'of the mac ine so that the tubers delivered onto the table by the elevator will be defle'cted toward the sides of the machine and v deposited upon the respective conveyer tables 32. At their ends, the several rods are united with side rods 34 whereby they are fixed in parallel relation and the side rods are connected by transverse bars or v runners 35 which rest slidably on the upper edges of longitudinal rails 36, said rails bein disposed between the conveyors 32 and rigi ly connected with the main frame in any convenient manner. An upright shield 37 is provided at the rear of the table '20 and this shield has a concave slot 38 in its lower portion through which passes a stud 39 projecting from the rear of the deflector or divider table. A lever 40 is pivoted on the masses shield above the slot '38 and concentric therewith, and in the lower end portion of said lever is a slot 41 receiving thestud 39. This shield prevents the beet bodies passing directly rearwardly over the divider table and aids in deflecting them toward the sides of the machine. By properly setting the lever 40 the deflector -may be set with its ridge on the medial line of the machine or at either side thereof. In the central position, the roots discharged from the elevator will be deflected part toward each conveyer 32 but'if the deflector be shifted to one side of the center all the roots will bei turned to the conveyer at the opposite s1 e.

Gn each side of the main frame and located adjacent. the conveyers 32 is a frame 42 which is in the form of a rail extending.

laterally from and longitudinally of the main frame and having hanger rods 43 secured at its corners and depending therefrom to support a platform 44 which is also supported by inner hangers 45 secured to the main frame and depending therefrom and having .their lower ends extended outwardly to project under and be secured to the respective platform. Attendants will stand upon each platform and as the beet bodies are delivered onto the conveyer 32, they will grasp the bodies successively and present the heads thereof to the cutters at the rear of the shield 37 whereby the tops will be severed and drop at once into a hopper 46 carried by .the main frame and equipped with a downwardly opening door 47 which constitutes the bottom of the same. The door 47 is normally closed by a spring 48 which is strong enough to overcome the weight of the door but will yield to a load of tops thereon. A latch 49 is fulcrumed on the rear wall of the hopper and is formed at its lower end with a book 50 adapted to engage under 'the edge of the door and support it in raised closed position. Above its fulcrum, the latch is provided with" a weighted arm 51 whereby the latch will be held to its operative position, and also with a trip arm 52 the manipulation of which will release the latch to eifect discharge of a load. Extending across the rear of the hopper is a rock shaft 53 havin crank handles 54 at its ends and provided at its center with a crank 55 arranged to bear against the end of the trip arm 52. With the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 3,

the severed beet tops drop from the cutters into the hopper and accumulate therein.- When the ho per is full, either attendant will garsp a andle54 and rock the shaft 53 so that the center crank 55 will press the arm 52 toward the hopper thereby swinging the latch hook 50 from under the hopper where downwardly un er the weight of the'lo ugon. the door swin Y i with an annular of beet tops and discharge the same. Re-

'a transverse shaft 57 mounted in suitable bearings on the rails 36 between the conve ers. 32 and spaced rearwardly from the shield 37 so'that an openspace is provided throu h which the severed topsmay fal The" s aft 57 is equipped w1th a sprocket 58 around which a sprocket chain 59 is trained, said chain being also trained around a sprocket 60 on the drive shaft of a motor 61, shown conventionally and preferably a small internal combustion engine. The motor is mounted on the rails 36 andin front .of the motor a guard 62 extends over the cutters. A second sprocket 63 is secured on the' motor drive shaft and a chain 64 is trained about the same and a sprocket 65 loose upon the rear exle and having a clutch hub 66 adapted to en age a mating clutch hub 67. A gear 68 is xed to the inner end of 'a sleeve. 69 which is .journaled through a hanger bracket 70 and is keyed upon the rear axle, the hub 67 being splined on said sleeve and a spur gear 71 being fixed to the outer end of the sleeve and meshing with a spur gear 72 secured upon the end of the shaft 33 which actuates the conveyers 32.. The ear 71 has openings therethrough in order that it may be bolted to the adjacent ground wheel 4, if the necessity arises. The clutch hub 67 is provided groove 73 in which is en gaged a fork 74 xed to a rod 75 slidably mounted in the frame and having its ends formed into handles7 6 which may be easily grasped by the attendants upon the platforms 44. By shifting the slide rod 75 the .clutch may bethrown into or out of gear, and it will be understood that by the described arrangement the working parts may be driven from the motor 61 or from a rear wheel 4. If the engine fuel, for example, should be unexpectedly exhausted, the gear .71 may he bolted to the rear wheel 4 and the operation continue. If a purchaser of I a machine should prefer, the engine may be omitted and the machine driven solely by the rear ground wheel.

The beveled gear 68 meshes with a simi lar gear 77 on a shaft 78 which extends rearwardly into and through the lower end of the frame of the rear elevating conveyer 7 9. Sprocket gearing, indicated at 80, transmits the motion of the shaft 78 to the elevating conveyer 79 whereby to actuate the same, and said elevator consists of endless chains carryin flights 81, and is disposed transversely o the main frame at the rear end of the same and projects beyond the wagon driven alongside the machine. The

lower portion of the elevator 79 is disposed within a transverse ho per 82 which is secured upon the rear en of the mam frame and has an expanded mouth 83 on its front side to receive the tubers. Within said hopper, on the. end wall thereof, is a hinged deflector plate 84 by which the bodies will be directed onto the elevator chains and prevented from dropping to the between the chains and the wall of the hopper. If the parts should be clogged, the

platemay be easily sw'ung'upward to permit inspection and proper attention.

side thereof to deliver the 'tubers 'into'a As the machine is drawn along the row.

of beets, the roots are lifted from the ground by the digger and delivered onto the conveyer 9 which carries them upwardly and deposits them upon the divider table 20 down which they roll to the respective cgnveyer tables 32. The attendants upon t e pres nt the heads thereof to the respective cutters 56 so that the tops 'will he severed and at once drop into the hopper 46. Large clods and loose sand will be shaken from the bodies as they are carried up the conveyer 9 but some clods may cling to the bodies even after the reach the conveyer tables, 32. These clo s may be shaken or knocked off b the attendants and wlll'be carried rearwardly by the elements 32 and.

escape over the rear ends of the same to- .fall to the ground. The topped bodies are tossed into the hopper 82 by the attendants and are at once taken upby the elevator 79 and delivered to the trailing wagon.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, itwill be seen that I have provided a very compact and simple machine WhlOh atforms 44 grasp the beet bodies and will serve to expeditiously ande'conomically harvest a crop of beets or other tubers.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A beet harvester comprising awheeled frame, a digger carried by said frame at the front end thereof, an elevator receiving the beets from the digger, a divider table arranged at the rear of the elevator and inclining from its center toward both sides, a shield at the rear of the divider table, conveyers arranged at the sides of the divider table and receiving beets therefrom, U

and rotating cutters arranged between and adjacent theconveyers at the rear of the shield.

2. In a beet harvester, a digger, an elevator at the rear of the digger, a divider table at the discharge end of the elevator,

means for sliding said table transversely relative to the elevator whereby ,toselectively deflect beets partly towardeachside 75 ground or all toward one side, and conveyers at the l sides of said table.

3. In a' beet harvester, an elevator a, de-

"flector below the discharge end of tlre elevator consisting of parallel transverse rods inclined from their centers to their ends, means for shifting the deflector laterally, and conveyers at the sides of the deflector. In testimon whereof "I afiix my si ature.

WILL AM B. CONRAD. E: s] 

